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Want to learn a little something about the connection between alcohol and calories?

Alcohol and Nutrition

It is important to remember alcohol has a significant effect on your nutritional health. When we drink, it is easy to forget how many calories, in addition to alcohol, we are consuming with each beverage. Many students do not realize that one evening of drinking can be equivalent to a meal or even an entire day’s worth of calories!

The Calorie and Carbohydrate Breakdown—Food for Thought

● A 12-ounce beer has about 150 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates = One slice of a 12-inch Crunchy Thin Crust pizza with Ham from Domino’s (148 calories and 14 carbs).

● A 12-ounce light beer has about 100 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates.

● A 6-ounce glass of white wine has about 120 calories and 1.4 grams of carbohydrates.

● A 6-ounce glass of red wine has about 128 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates = One stick from an order of CinnaStix or Cheesy Bread Sticks from Domino’s (123 calories each).

​● A 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof liquor, such as vodka, rum, tequila, or gin, has about 100 calories.

● A 1.5-ounce shot of 100-proof liquor has about 124 calories.

● If having a mixed drink, you must also include the total number of calories for your beverage in the calculation. For example, 2 ounces of rum plus 4 ounces of cola total about 182 calories and 12 grams of carbohydrates = One slice of a 12-inch Crunchy Thin Crust pizza with Sausage from Domino’s (181 calories).

Liqueurs frequently have higher sugar and fat contents, contributing more calories. For example, 5 ounces of a popular cream liqueur totals about 468 calories = One slice of a 14-inch Ultimate Deep Dish ExtravaganZZa Feast from Domino’s (468 calories).

Pure alcohol (ethanol) also contains calories, 7 per gram, (compared to 4 calories/gram for carbohydrates and protein, and 9 calories/gram for fat), and it should not make up a significant portion of one’s daily caloric intake for many reasons.

Although alcohol can provide some energy, it lacks nutrients the body needs to function—proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Beverages containing alcohol can also alter appetite and affect food intake and utilization, displacing required nutrients from the diet. In addition, alcohol can alter digestion and absorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as affect storage, mobilization, activation, and metabolism of nutrients in the body’s tissues, impairing normal body functions. Heavy drinkers often consume insufficient amounts of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins A, B, and C, and minerals such as calcium and iron.

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